Benzema, French minister clash over 'Muslim Brotherhood' claim / Photo: - - AFP
-
Roblox to launch wallet to pay creators faster and will allow off-platform gaming
-
Weapons, spyware and AI scams: Anthropic exposes Claude misuse
-
Springboks wary of new-look All Blacks in Baltimore test
-
Gary Oldman hopes Jack Lowden is the new James Bond
-
Townsend, Siniakova win US Open doubles for career Grand Slam together
-
Six-stop race is best on tyre-shredding Madrid track says Russell
-
Verstappen unimpressed with new Madrid street track
-
Prosecutors seek up to 10 years prison over violent burglary of Donnarumma
-
Razaullah heroics deny England quickfire win in 3rd Test against Pakistan
-
Solheim Cup on a knife-edge after Korda record
-
Masks banned at planned UK protests: police
-
Corruption probe targets Brazil presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro
-
Antonelli on top ahead of Ferraris in Madrid practice
-
New No.1 Rybakina out to thwart Sabalenka US Open three-peat bid
-
Dance Fitness Tempe Announces Expansion of Accessible Digital Movement Programs
-
US marks 25th anniversary of 9/11 attacks
-
Nashville airport to be renamed after Dolly Parton
-
'That's why we fight': Trump links 9/11 to Iran conflict
-
Argentina's Dirty War rears its head in Venice film
-
Europe saw record summer air traffic despite Mideast war: Eurocontrol
-
'Whatever we do is political' says Iranian director Asgari at Venice
-
De Zerbi coy over unsettled Richarlison's Spurs future
-
UK lawmakers throw out bill to legalise assisted dying
-
Brazil president candidate Flavio Bolsonaro targeted in corruption probe
-
Relatives of 9/11 victims hit out at Saudi Arabia -- and US leaders
-
England dismiss Pakistan's Masood to close on victory in 3rd Test
-
Egyptian teenager Abdelkarim to extend Barca deal to 2030
-
Oil prices, US inflation stoke Fed hike worries
-
Macau to hold closed-door trial in first national security case
-
Free-scoring Chelsea must tighten up, says Alonso
-
Philippines recovers 30 bodies from ferry after blaze
-
US inflation steady in August, fueling Fed rate hike expectations
-
Relative of 9/11 victim unleashes searing attack on Saudi Arabia
-
United boss Carrick dismisses Anderson's 'kings of Manchester' jibe
-
Russell edges Antonelli in accident-free opening practice in Madrid
-
New York marks 25th anniversary of 9/11 attacks
-
Sweden's outgoing PM wants to 'make Sweden great again'
-
Yemen's Houthis take over strait vital to global shipping
-
Fenced off: Thailand builds border wall after Cambodia clashes
-
Russia rolls out long-delayed 5G, but not for iPhones
-
Pakistan's Masood frustrates England's victory push in 3rd Test
-
DR Congo Ebola outbreak spreads to 7th province
-
Revitalised Isak in a 'good place' at Liverpool: Iraola
-
Turning up the heat: Arteta reveals 'challenges' for Arsenal stars
-
Arsenal boss Arteta 'very surprised' at Jesus blast over Barcelona move
-
F2 crash in Madrid underlines fears over 'riskiest track'
-
Czech antitrust office lets Turkey's Pegasus Airlines buy Smartwings
-
Nepal flood reconstruction bill to be $4.78 bn: foreign ministry
-
Maresca says spotlight not on him ahead of Manchester derby
-
Investors on edge as energy costs, surging bond yields roil markets
Benzema, French minister clash over 'Muslim Brotherhood' claim
The lawyer of Karim Benzema has hit back at France's interior minister after he accused the French football star who plays for Saudi team Al-Ittihad of links to the Muslim Brotherhood Islamist group.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin made the accusations after the reigning Ballon d'Or winner and former Real Madrid forward posted a message on social media about the conflict between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas.
"All our prayers are for the inhabitants of Gaza who are once again victims of these unjust bombings which spare no women or children," Benzema wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Hamas on October 7 launched shock raids into Israel, killing 1,400 people, mostly civilians, and seizing about 200 hostages.
Israel has since then launched wave after wave of retaliatory air strikes, killing more than 3,000 Palestinians in Gaza.
Darmanin, speaking on the CNews Channel, alleged that Benzema "has a notorious link with the Muslim Brotherhood", a Sunni Muslim Islamist group with its origins in Egypt that is now banned by Cairo.
"This is false! Karim Benzema has never had the slightest relationship with this organisation," Benzema's layer Hugues Vigier said in a statement.
He said that Benzema was expressing "natural compassion" with "what many today describe as war crimes being committed in Gaza, but which does not detract from the horror of the terrorist acts of October 7, something not open to discussion".
The lawyer added that he was planning to file a complaint against Darmanin for his comments.
Benzema, 35, who was born in France to parents of Algerian origin, has been one of the standout French stars of the last decade.
He joined the Saudi club on a hugely lucrative three-year deal this year after 14 seasons with Real Madrid where he lifted five Champions Leagues, four La Liga titles and three Copas del Rey.
But after a stellar 2021-22 season when he led Real to Champions League glory and was rewarded with the Ballon d'Or for the world's best player, he was troubled by injuries that ruled him out of France's World Cup campaign in Qatar last year.
Darmanin, 41, has carved out a reputation as a hardliner in the mould of his political mentor ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy and makes no secret of his own presidential ambitions.
G.P.Martin--AT